2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 171
Celebrating the life of Cecelia Taliaferro Tucker.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 2, 2026
Agreed to by the Senate, March 5, 2026
WHEREAS, Cecelia Taliaferro Tucker, a distinguished educator, civil rights advocate, and civic leader whose life was marked by compassion, visionary leadership, and transformative service to the Commonwealth, died on July 29, 2025; and
WHEREAS, Cecelia Tucker, affectionately known to family and friends as “Ms. Cee Cee,” was born on April 17, 1939, in Martinsville and raised in South Hill during the era of Jim Crow, developing an enduring commitment to justice, opportunity, and inclusion that guided her life's work; and
WHEREAS, the daughter of devoted educators Emmett and Josephine Taliaferro, Cecelia Tucker excelled academically, graduating as valedictorian of East End High School before earning a bachelor's degree in biology, cum laude , from Virginia Union University and a master's degree in biology from Michigan State University; and
WHEREAS, while a student at Virginia Union University, Cecelia Tucker encountered the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and in 1963 she participated in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, witnessing firsthand the historic “I Have a Dream” speech and carrying its call for equality and human dignity throughout her life and service; and
WHEREAS, Cecelia Tucker began her distinguished career as a biology teacher at Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, where she was recognized as a Distinguished Teacher and inspired generations of students through her commitment to excellence in the classroom and steadfast belief in her students' potential; and